Air India CEO resigns amid mounting losses

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has resigned amid mounting losses and a slower-than-expected turnaround of the airline the Tata Group took back in its fold over four years ago. Wilson, whose resignation was accepted by the airline board last week, will stay till a successor is found and is serving his notice period. And that is likely to happen once the final report into last June's AI 171 Ahmedabad crash is out.

Wilson had joined AI in July 2022 for a five-year term. The Tata Group had started looking for his successor a few months back. AI was not in the best of health after remaining a PSU since its nationalisation in 1953 till 2022, when it was finally sold to the Tatas, along with AI Express.

While supply chain disruptions caused by Covid led to older planes' makeovers getting delayed along with induction of newer ones, airspace restrictions meant longer routes and mounting expenses. Last month, IndiGo CEO Pieter Embers had also resigned. IndiGo has named his successor, who is expected to join by Aug.

Air India, where the hunt for a new CEO began long before that at IndiGo, still awaits its new Maharaja.